May 31, 2013 (NYC) – On Monday, June 10New Music Seminar (NMS) and Musichelp will present the Sweden Showcase at Cake Shop, featuring new and emerging Swedish talents during theNew York Music Festival (NYMF),. Artists performing at the Sweden Showcase include Chris Merritt,Yves Jean, State of Grace, and Full of Keys.

NYMF kicks off Sunday, June 9 at Webster Hallwith the Opening Night Red Carpet Event (see flyer here) featuring performances by The Soul Rebels,2AM Club, and more. The nights of June 10-11, Webster Hall will continue to feature performances in addition to various music venues throughout Manhattan’s Lower East Side. In conjunction with NYMF, the NMS conferencewill be held June 10-11 during the day at the New Yorker Hotel.

The Sweden Showcase begins at 8:45 PM with Cruise Elroy, created from over a decade of musical collaborations between Chris Merritt, Brett Ripley and Jake Thro. They each have toured in various formations of Chris Merritt bands throughout the U.S. and Japan, sharing the stage with talents such as Ben Folds, Reel Big Fish, Fountains of Wayne, Ozma and more. The trio has spent the past two years writing and recording their upcoming album to be released later this year. With a busy Summer planned full of performances, the band will also be releasing new singles and videos in anticipation of the new album – we can’t wait!

Also performing is Yves Jean, who’s music is a combination across several genres but mainly Pop, Rock, Reggae, Hip Hop, Electronic and Blues. Born in Haiti, Jean has the uncanny ability to channel his past experiences and environment, using them as vehicles for creating art, as a musician. Named Artist of the Month by ABC Radio Australia, he has already toured internationally for the release of his previous album Rise Above Your Surroundingsand performed at Sweden’s acclaimed Malmo Festival. Jean released his lastest albumHope For the Best… But Expect NothingDecember 2012.

Watch Yves Jean’s “Last Forever”

httpv://youtu.be/GUz8_CgzgXw

Sweden’s State of Grace is quickly emerging as a new talent. The band’s energizing pop/rock sound is laced with synth and electronic tones, creating songs so overwhelmingly catchy that Swedish music magazine GAFFA deemed State of Grace to be “Sweden’s Best Unsigned Band“. In 2011, they beat out 639 other artists to win Sweden’s largest Battle of the Bands “Rockkarusellen” . The band has released two full-length albums, one EP, and are currently recording their third album to be released in 2014. State of Grace’s single “Gazebo” was recently placed to Coca Colas new world campaign 52 sounds of happiness (if you have Spotify, click here to listen) and their latest single “I Can Only Guess” has just started to rotate on Swedish radio. Their upcoming performance June 10 at the Sweden Showcase in NYC will be the band’s first show outside of Europe.

Watch State of Grace’s “I Can Only Guess”

httpv://youtu.be/AMoZzFQZmIM

Full of Keys, the stage name for electronic artist Anni Bernhard, has received tremendous exposure throughout Sweden. In 2012, she released her critically-acclaimed debut album Traces of a Humanwhich was described as “beautiful melodies, unexpected turns, warm and inviting digital soundscape, emotional and intriguing”. In October she released the new single “Snow, Glass, Apples” and is currently working on her second album Grazing Grounds. Barnhard described the upcoming concept album as “songs about mourning the past, moving forward on weak ground, finding where your heart lies, learning to follow your gut and accepting both the darker and the lighter sides of yourself.” Lucky fans will get to hear new songs from the upcoming album on June 10 at the Sweden Showcase in NYC!

Watch Full of Key’s “Snow, Glass, Apples”

httpv://youtu.be/o7exVmQ0HIY

The Sweden Showcase during NYMF is presented by NMS and Musichelp, a Swedish music service for record labels and artists who sell their knowledge about the music industry. Musichelp owns Dead Frog Records, an independent record company started in 1990, and three publishing companies (Dead Frog Music, Musicbase Publishing, Musichelp Publishing).